LOS CABOS

Dawn was breaking on March 12th as we hauled up the anchor and waved Puerto Magdalena farewell. Motoring out of the bay we caught a rising NW wind and at 8:30 we were running under the main and genoa. By 10:30 we had a 14 kt wind astern, and for our very first time set the sails wing on wing! We had a nice run for an hour before the wind dropped, with a couple of humpbacks and a sea turtle sighting making for a lovely period of sailing. We motored for a couple of hours until the wind filled in again and we were able to run under the poled-out genoa and eventually also the main until dusk when the wind dropped again. The night was beautiful though uneventful; the stars were magnificent until the moon rose near midnight, lighting up the waters and making for pleasant night watches.

By 9am it was warm and sunny as Cabo Falso came into view, we watched a Mobula Ray leap from the water to port as our foulies came off and boat traffic increased dramatically. We motored through an increasingly chaotic fleet of tourist boats as we approached Cabo San Lucas, eventually crowding Tino Pai to see a humpback whale surfacing near us as we passed the famous rock arches. Entering Bahia San Lucas was like entering another world; we worked our way around a massive cruise ship anchored just off the beach, through pleasure craft, tourist boats and jet skis, anchoring at the edge of the shallows in front of a row of resorts and restaurants. We settled in, rocked by boat wakes as we watched the madness around us on the water and ashore where music blared, and microphone wielding hype-men exhorted crowded bars to party harder. We realized that spring break was in full swing - it was all rather disconcerting after the quietude of Mag Bay.

Thankfully land and sea-based activities quietened after dark, and we had a nice night’s sleep. Rising early the next morning we paddleboarded over to the arches and had a nice time exploring by ourselves before the crowded tourist boats arrived. As these boats started arriving we paddled back towards Tino Pai through increasing powerboat wakes, watching from a distance as a humpback surfaced right by her! By the time we’d stowed the paddleboards the madness was getting back into full swing; figuring we might as well join in, we flagged down a passing water taxi and went ashore to explore.

The waterfront of Cabo San Lucas has a similar vibe to tourist party areas like Saint Louis’ Bourbon Street, 6th Street in Austin, or Key West, with bars peddling sugary margaritas, various “party favors” on offer, tourists milling around, and locals hustling t-shirts and other souvenir kitsch. It’s really not our thing, and spring break coinciding with our visit didn’t help! After looking around a bit and grabbing a haircut (for Andy) and a bite, we decided to make for San Jose del Cabo the next day. First though, we caught up with Cynthia Anne’s crew for dinner; we knew Jim and Stephanie were planning to head across to Mazatlán on the mainland, so with Tino Pai heading for the Sea of Cortez we toasted our adventures together to date before we went our separate ways.

It's under 20 nm to Puerto Los Cabos from Cabo San Lucas, so we made a leisurely start on 15th March, upping the anchor just before 10am and looping around Cynthia Anne for a final wave farewell, before motoring out and turning eastward along the southern tip of Baja. By 10:30 we had a light SE breeze and were able to get the main and genoa up, eventually running wing on wing for a lovely couple of hours until the wind dropped enough that we slowed to below 2 kts and reluctantly dropped the genoa and motor sailed the last few miles. A couple of humpbacks were slapping flippers to starboard as we approached Puerto Los Cabos and together with the warm, t-shirt conditions we’d had a very pleasant few hours on the water.

Puerto Los Cabos was the first marina we’d been into since leaving Ensenada, necessary as there is no safe anchorage on the southern tip of Baja after Cabo San Lucas, which itself is exposed to the south. We’d needed to come in anyway, to pick up the new dinghy and welcome our first guests in Mexico. Our friends Rick and Rich live in San Jose del Cabo – just inland from the port – and they’d kindly offered to receive our new dinghy and outboard. Even more kindly, they delivered both to the boat! We thanked them with a tasty dinner in town and arranged to head out for a day sail with them in the next few days. The following day we explored some of the quaint and well-appointed town of San Jose del Cabo, which we felt to be somewhat like a Mexican Calistoga with boutiques and trendy restaurants.

We spent a day tidying up Tino Pai, assembling and inflating the inflatable, and testing it out by exploring the marina and surrounds. We’ve dubbed the dinghy “Mooch” as we enjoy mooching around in her and as a nod to our old dog Maggie, nicknamed the same. We needed to be ready, as the next day Zach and Leanne arrived from Oakland! Our first stay-aboard visitors in Mexico, we were excited to have them aboard and catch up. They’d arrived loaded up with goodies from the States too, which added to the fun. We’d originally thought we’d all sail up to Los Frailes for a few days, however the weather outlook in that area didn’t play ball so we decided to spend time relaxing, exploring and dining out in San Jose del Cabo and generally taking it easy together, typically involving margaritas. Mmmmargaritas!

As promised to Rick and Rich, together with Leanne and Zach, on one day we all went out for a nice day sail out towards Cabo San Lucas. We were able to spot Rick & Rich’s house from the boat, and had some Humpbacks obligingly make an appearance, slapping flippers on the water and putting on a nice display. We meandered with the light wind for a bit having a nice easy sail before returning to the marina.

All too soon it was time for Zach and Leanne to head home, we waved them goodbye and set to preparing the boat for our next leg; an overnight passage to Ensenada de los Muertos during which, nearly 3 months after entering Mexico, we’d enter the magical Sea of Cortez.